Vehicle road-track



l. R. BELKNAP.

VEHICLE ROAD TRACK. APPLICATION HLED APRA, 1919.

1,399,043, Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

JOELB'. BELKNAP, OF MIDLAND, MICHIGAN.

narrar VEHICLE noma-TRACK.

ieaoaa. n

Application xi-led April 4,

which would be of standard gage, and suf.

`flciently wide 'to accommodate the wheels of any ordinary vehicle, and which will combine all of the advantages of an entirely surfacedroad with .but a small portion of the expense.

Another object of the invention is .to construct a track so that a filler may be applied therein such asas halt or an other suitable plastic material, which will provide a smooth, hard and permanent track or runway, which can be readily removed when worn and fresh Amaterial laid therein without disturbing the `track proper, andcan be quickly and economically done with very little expense and a n minimum delay toV traino. 1 v Y l Y A still further object is to provide 'track members so shaped that they will form their own individual anchorages, as well as` serving to retain the roadway in place.

llith the above and other objects in View, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the size, proportion and minor details without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my improved track as applied to the ordinary dirt road.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View thereof, show-k ing the method of securing the tracks together.

vSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Der.. 6, i921.

i919. seriaiivo. 287,404.

rig.V e is a .detail Showing the mailed f aconnectingi-the ends of the track members,

.and l yFig. 4 is ansection of'a concrete roadway .showing my improved construction.

F ig. 5 is another section .of a concrete :roadway showing the track section formed with -but a slight depression. f

SIn the specilication like reference characters refer to like parts in the drawing.

In carrying my invention into practice,

I provide a pair of relatively spaced parallel trac-'k kmembers indicated. Vby the numeral l, and formed as shown, ythe center thereof being .concaved to receive the wheels of a vehicle, and the sides or lips of each .niemkber lbeing rounded over with an easy curve,

eachedge for lip projecting downwardly, and at an angle away from the vertical kcenter line of each 'individual 'track member, thereby anchoring and maintaining the track in its position y*regardless of pressure exerted `on either side thereof, or the weight of heavily loaded vehicles traveling ythe roadway. f y

It will benoted that the track is formed y without any sharp ledges orfcorners, and Y that the outer lip 3 issemewhatlonger than .the inner lips 2.. lVhfifle' this isnot necessary where this construction is yused in connection with surfaced pavements and roadways, it is very desirable in connection with the so-called dirt roads, as it will tend n to maintain' the roadbed in place and prevent any washouts, as well as maintaining the tracks in position against lateral displacement.

Roadsand pavements of every description and construction are preferably crowned, and in dirtroads especially this is very desirable in order that the water will readily Vdrain from the same. Vehicles customarily travel on this crowned portion vand it will be apparent that the tracks will be laid to straddle the crown, being securely-tied together by use of the spacer bar members 4, secured to the main members l by means of bolts 5 or in any other approved manner,thus forming a saddle which will be idifficult to displace under natural condiions.

Vlt will be understood that the track members are composed of sections placed end to end and secured together'. This can be done in a number of different ways, but I prefer to do this as clearly shown in Fig. 3, by providing a section 6 of the same formation as the main track members l, the ends of the said members lapping on the same, and being secured thereto by means of bolts or rivets 7.

In order that these tracks may wear for a long period of time the concaved portion of the 'track can be iilled with an asphalt or other plastic material 8Qwhic-h .will

harden and form a smooth surface to besubjected to the wear by the trailic over "the road, and when broken or worn to any great extent, it can be easily removed and fresh.

material applied, and it will be obviousthat the track members properwill wear for an indefinite period.

f When using this construction in concrete pavements and the-like, andespecially for city use where pavements are subjected to continuous and heavy traffic, these tracks can be used without a filler, or they can be filled with the same material of which the pavement is constructed, and it will be apparent that it is merely necessary to refill or lay p resurfacing new track members instead of the entire pavement. f

I also wish to call particular attention to the shape of the track sections, and it will be observed thatthey can be readily rolled in the mills owing to the rounded surfaces, and by varying the depth of the track sections, it will be obvious that the moment y `of inertia of the track sections "will be varied accordingly. 1 Y y By reference to the foregoing description it will be evident that I have perfecteda new and improved construction for roadways, pavements and the like, which can be easily and economically manufactured;

which can be quickly laid and which, will wardly arched edge'po'rtion being of greaterV vdepth than the inner edge ing the member against e gewise displaceortion for bracment incident tolateral `thrusts of vehicle f wheels thereon, and a'iillerin said concave portions of the member for engagement with the vehicle wheels to support the same. A

2. In a vehicle track, `a track member' .transversely .concave at its middle portion andV having downwardly archedand diverging lateral lip portions adapted to be 1embedded in the material of a roadwayrthe outer lip portion being of reater depth than the inner lip portion for bracing said track member against transverse displacement under lateral stress. t i y 3. A vehicle track comprising a pair of track members, ,each being. transversely concave` in cross sectionand. provided with "downwardly arched anddiverging lateral portions adapted to be embedded in a roadway, and spacer bars secured at opposite ends beneath theintermediate concave portions of the track members and terminating Y in Vspaced relation tothe outer'elongated arched portions, theshorter arched portions being adapted to rest upon theupper sur-` face of said spacer bar whereby to brace theA i track members.` v

In testimonywhereo'f I aihx my signature.

` Y JOEL R. Bnnmmr.A 

